Loire 2014 at Ten Years: Moelleux
I conclude my look back at the 2014 vintage in the Loire Valley at ten years of age with a handful of sweeter wines. And when I say handful, I really mean just a handful.
While the vintage turned out to be superb for the dry whites, the overarching style a rarely seen combination of delicious fruit but also vibrant acidity, and it was also strong for the reds, which retained their highly-prized sense of freshness, this turned out to be a more challenging year for those looking to produce a little sweet wine.
The reason was simple; while the weather held through September and early October, sufficient for the ripening of dry styles, any vigneron with their sights set on making moelleux needed these conditions to hold for much longer, to achieve the dehydration and concentration on the vine they desired. Preferably with a little shower of rain first, to hasten the arrival of botrytis, particularly in the leading appellations such as Quarts de Chaume. Such conditions were far from universal in this vintage.
Indeed, in Touraine, the weather broke, for many precluding the production of sweeter Vouvray and Montlouis-sur-Loire, many vignerons choosing to focus on dry and sparkling wines, and perhaps a little demi-sec. Not all of them though; Bernard Fouquet produced a moelleux from the Plan de Jean parcel, with 50 g/l residual sugar, but sadly not tasted here. Indeed, it is now eight years since I last set eyes on a bottle, which perhaps says something about the volume of production.
Please log in to continue reading: